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KNYSNA NEWS AND VIDEO - At just 18 years of age and staring the world dead centre in the eye, Chant Messina of Bibby's Hoek in Rheenendal is already an avid reader and enthusiastic writer with an insatiable appetite for words.
He is also a former winner of the Young Writers Competition at the Knysna Literary Festival, where he claimed the top prize in his category in 2013 and again in 2017.
He admits to being overindulgent when it comes to his passion, but that's just the way he likes it. In fact, if he could take it to an even more excessive level, he probably would.
“Growing up, I never had a TV. I still don't,” he says, recalling some of the factors in life that led him to the boundless path of writing.
“My mom encouraged us to read and open up our imaginations. Books, words, literature… It appeals in a way that nothing else can.”.
Everyday life inspires him
With a boyish grin on his face and under the watchful eye of his mom, Chant says he draws inspiration from everyday life, although he prefers mostly to write fiction – deep, thought-provoking pieces that attract awe and amazement.
“I received a lot of support from one of the teachers at Knysna Montessori School. She had a look at a passage I had written and motivated me to finish,” he says.
The words keep flowing
“I like the creative use of words. I'm already done with the first draft of a book I wrote, and will probably spend the next few months editing it and getting it ready for publication.”
With a pen in his hand, Chant has the world at his disposal.
“I want to one day make a living of this passion. Whether it means I become an author or writer in whatever form is presented, I want to work with words, write poems and short stories, and even have books published.”
Chant is a teenager of multiple talents. He does sculpting, has interests in mycology, and can play the base guitar and other instruments.
He will be heading to England this year to work and explore before taking up studies – probably in the field of languages.
Look out for this
The young man's latest prize, at the 2017 Knysna Literary Festival, was for a poem entitled Ancient Cellar. It is a fascinating poem that is nothing short of marvellous and genius.
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